


Deus Ex Machina

by moonsknife



Category: Donnie Darko (2001)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Death, Deus Ex Machina, Donnie survives, Dysfunctional Family, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Issues, Fantasy, Mental Health Issues, Romance, Schizophrenia, Science, Self-Discovery, The Philosophy of Time Travel, Time Travel, Violence, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 14:38:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16557647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonsknife/pseuds/moonsknife
Summary: The Philosophy of Time Travel states that the Tangent Universe cannot exist for very long and must be destroyed by the Living Receiver in order to save the Primary Universe. But it does not state that the Receiver must die and therefore, can have a savior known as the Mediator.Louisa Nova dreams the strangest of things once she moves to Middlesex and discovers Donnie Darko, the troubled boy across the street. Destined to live at the expense of his life, the two must work together to save their universe from the brink of collapse.





	Deus Ex Machina

**Author's Note:**

> After seeing the director's cut of the film, I was really into diving into the world of Donnie Darko and researching the elements the Philosophy of Time Travel had to offer. This is purely a story set in an alternate universe where Donnie does not die but is saved by a factor created in the guide.

October 22, 1988 (Eight days remain)

 

**_THE PHILOSOPHY OF TIME TRAVEL_ **

 

_ The intent of this book is for it to be used as a simple and direct guide in a time of great danger. I pray that this is purely a work of fiction. If it is not, then I pray for you, the reader of this book. If I am still alive when the events foretold in these pages occur, then I hope that you will find me before it is too late.  _

 

_ Roberta Ann Sparrow October, 1944  _

 

The book was never meant to fall in her hands but time was in flux and anything could have happened. She could only hope she could understand the complex language in which the book was written in. It was hard to believe that Grandma Death was the author of a book unknown to the world, to have published such intricate ideas that couldn’t be formed by any other human of this life or in the next. What a horrid nickname but with the way things were going, Lou couldn’t help but to feel that Donnie was spot on with coming up with it.

 

_ CHAPTER ONE – THE TANGENT UNIVERSE  _

 

_ The Primary Universe is fraught with great peril. War, plague, famine and natural disaster are common. Death comes to us all. The Fourth Dimension of Time is a stable construct, though it is not impenetrable. Incidents when the fabric of the Fourth Dimension becomes corrupted are incredibly rare. If a Tangent Universe occurs, it will be highly unstable, sustaining itself for no longer than several weeks. Eventually it will collapse upon itself, forming a black hole within the Primary Universe capable of destroying all existence. _

 

_ THE ARTIFACT AND THE LIVING  _

 

_ When a Tangent Universe occurs, those living nearest to the Vortex will find themselves at the epicenter of a dangerous new world. Artifacts provide the first sign that a Tangent Universe has occurred. If an Artifact occurs, the Living will retrieve it with great interest and curiosity. Artifacts are formed from metal, such as an Arrowhead from an ancient Mayan civilization, or a Metal Sword from Medieval Europe. Artifacts returned to the Primary Universe are often linked in religious iconography, as their appearance on Earth seems to defy logical explanation. 2 Divine Intervention is deemed to be the only logical conclusion for the appearance of the artifact.  _

 

_ DREAMS  _

 

_ When the Manipulated awaken from their Journey into the Tangent Universe, they are often haunted by the experience in their dreams. Many of them will not remember. Those who do remember the journey are often overcome with profound remorse for the regretful actions buried within their dreams, the only physical evidence buried within the artifact itself; all that remains from the lost world. Ancient myth tells us of the Mayan Warrior killed by an arrowhead that had fallen from a cliff, where there was no army, no enemy to be found. We are told of the Medieval Knight mysteriously impaled by the sword he had not yet built. We are told that these things occur for a reason.  _

 

The dreams. The horrid dreams. They had been recurring to her for nearly a month now and Lou wondered what they meant. Her stomach lurched awfully but had it not been for the desperate need to be answered about the other world she dreamt of, the other life without Donnie Darko. . . She would not have kept reading. 

 

“Oh, hell,” Lou murmured. The jet engine. That was not a coincidence if nobody knew where the object had come from. Anyone could trace a faulty engine from a plane crash but as there was none, the book began to fit these events together like pieces of a snug puzzle. Fingers clutching around the delicate cover of the book began to tremble from the terrible realizations she was stumbling on word after word. Lou was  _ very  _ afraid. She leafed through the pages erratically, hoping to find some explanation as to why this was affecting her so much. More importantly, she wanted to know why it was hurting Donnie.

 

_ THE LIVING RECEIVER  _

 

_ The Living Receiver is chosen to guide the Artifact into position for its journey back to the Primary Universe. No one knows how or why a receiver will be chosen. The Living Receiver is often blessed with Fourth Dimensional Powers. These include increased strength, telekinesis, mind control, and the ability to conjure fire and water. The Living Receiver is often tormented by terrifying dreams, visions and auditory hallucinations during his time within the Tangent Universe. Those surrounding the Living Receiver, known as the Manipulated, will fear him and try to destroy him.  _

 

She almost laughed. This was ridiculous, time could not be sentient. But here she was, reading a book that claimed otherwise and stated that a person was chosen for the slaughter that saved the rest of the world but would ultimately leave them to suffer and perish as a result. Oblivion was coming and the Manipulated would have done anything to avoid it, even if it meant sacrificing the Receiver.

 

Unaware that tears began to blur her vision and obscure her sight on the bold print of the book, Lou thought about what it would have been like if Donnie was the Receiver. Everything would have made sense if this book spoke of an ugly truth she didn’t want to live through. Why she cared so much about that boy was beyond her but she couldn’t compel herself to stray away from imagining an inevitable death that lay ahead for him.

 

Turning the page, she stumbled across one of the final chapters that made her heart clench uncomfortably tight. 

 

_ CHAPTER EIGHT – THE MEDIATOR _

 

_ When the Living Receiver has returned the Artifact to the Primary Universe, it is not necessary for the Receiver to face Oblivion alone in order to save the Manipulated. In most cases if not all, there will be a Mediator. The Receiver will regard the Mediator with careful consideration and the Mediator will impact them greatly. In the event the Receiver will be destroyed, it is entirely up to the Mediator’s choice to save them from Oblivion in order for the Primary Universe to stabilize again or leave them to perish. Both will remember their experiences in the Tangent Universe not in Dreams but in Memories if the Living Receiver is saved. _

 

_ The Philosophy of Time Travel states that the Tangent Universe cannot exist for very long and must be destroyed by the Living Receiver in order to save the Primary Universe. But it does not state that the Receiver must die and therefore, can have a savior known as the Mediator. _

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this prologue. This is set in the middle of the story in where Lou begins to realize that everything in the book might be true and she has a chance to save Donnie if it comes down to it. That part is strictly made up and I own nothing but my own original characters.


End file.
